William Shakespeare, 1981

William Shakespeare, written by Geoffrey Earle, was the very last book to be published in the history series 561 which was the longest and longest-running series of the Ladybird golden years.  Shakespeare was published in 1981 and you can clearly see from this book that the new owners of the company were trying to reinvent the brand at this time.  The cover style with a cameo picture was a new approach and inside there are some photographs in addition to the lovely illustrations by Roger Hall.  In addition, the illustrations are no longer all to be found on the right with the text on the left – that format has been left behind.

This copy:

Glossy, laminated boards.  It is in excellent condition inside and out with little wear and clean, tight pages.